Friday, February 02, 2007

Rice Table

Here's another entry that has been stowed away until now. Hence also the lousy pics that came out. These were before I started to experiment with lighting, exposure and flash. Oh and I'm still trying to perfect the business card thing that Ivan has advised but obviously I didn't manage to try it for this entry as this has been some time ago.

I met up with about 12 friends and once former fellow colleagues from the army. Even though some of us were from different platoons, we still went through the same specialist course and passed out of it as one batch. Work within the company, ZPC, was varied, different but yet somehow linked. This probably explains the bonds formed between individuals who have gone through challenging times together. The human spirit is amazing. Place a group of strangers in a tough environment, make them work hard and magically formidable bonds form. Maybe it's the fact that not many people outside the company knew how those inside felt.

Darren was the organizer for this dinner at Rice Table (Cuppage branch). It costs $19.80++ for an ala carte buffet dinner. Rice Table does not serve pork but it has not obtained the Halal certification as it serves alcohol. I would probably just highlight some dishes that I feel are more worth mentioning. The rest will give you an idea what was served that night.

Ikan Bilis (Fried Anchovies)

Ikan Goreng (Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce)

Sambal Kang Kong (Spicy Water Spinach)

Ayam Goreng (Fried Chicken Wings)

Ayam Pedis (Chicken in Spicy Sauce)

Sayur Bumbu Taoco (Lady's Finger in Bead Sauce)

Sayur Lodeh (Vegetable Stew)

Tauhu Kuning (Curried Beancurd)

Soto Ayam (Chicken Soup)

The sambal that came with the keropok (prawn crackers) was really good. Hot (in the spicy sense) and fragrant with a tangy zing, it makes me salivate even now while I'm doing up this post.

The Perkedel Jagung (deep-fried potato-corn patties) had a nice crispy coat and served hot, the spiced mashed potato inside was really a delight. In fact, go with the sambal and it'll add a kick. But I didn't really notice any corn though.

I supposed this dish of diced green apples in kicap (soy sauce) was included to be more of a palate cleanser. The tart sourness of the green apple and the slightly savoury kicap worked well to refresh the tastebuds and erase any trace of spiciness.

When eating steamed white rice, nothing beats prawns in a rich coconut broth. Shells were removed for lazy people convenience and the mildly spicy gravy went very well with the plain rice. I wish this Sambal Udang (spicy Prawns) was more spicy.

The beef rendang was sufficiently tender but I would have preferred the rempah (spice mix) to be more robust.

The Tauhu Teloh (beancurd omelette) was a favourite among many at the table. Chunks of beancurd were first coated in egg and then deep-fried, resulting in a crispy albeit oily outer mesh that doesn't look too pretty. The taste was sinfully good though.

Personally, I did not really enjoy the buffet here as I prefer the food to be more spicy and savoury instead of having a sweet tinge (as in the case of most Indonesian food) but what I did enjoy that evening was meeting up with my army friends. Thank you Darren for organising.

Rice Table (other branches at International Building & Suntec City)43/45 Cuppage RoadTel: 67359117Lunch: 12pm - 3pm, last order at 2.15pmDinner: 6pm - 10pm, last order at 9.15pm

Chew On This: The centrepiece of the table here is the 'rijsttafel', a word coined by the Dutch which literally means 'rice table'. This modern version also acts as a warmer to keep the dishes warm. A few tea-light candles under a metal plate seems like a simple idea that one smart man here introduced.

Ctiee Salina: Heya, unfortunately it was a dish that I had at the restaurant and not one that I had cooked myself. But roughly, the fish had a basic batter of flour and water. As for the sauce, you could use canned tomatoes and season with garlic and a bit of chilli.